Equity Bank Uganda, in partnership with My Tree Initiative Uganda, has launched a two-year school greening programme targeting the planting, protection and nurturing of 200,000 trees across Uganda by December 2027.
The Equi Green Schools Programme was launched on Friday, September 25, 2026, at Nakanyonyi Secondary School in Kalagi, Mukono District, where students, officials and other participants planted 3,500 trees.
The programme will be implemented in two phases. The first phase, running until the end of 2026, targets 50,000 trees in 25 schools across 10 districts.
A further 150,000 trees will be planted in 2027, including through school orchards intended to provide longer-term environmental and educational benefits.
The initiative is designed to involve students directly in planting and caring for trees while using schools as centres for environmental education and conservation.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Public Service Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, who is also patron of My Tree Initiative, commended Equity Bank and the organisation for supporting environmental restoration.
Katumba said Uganda’s environmental challenges required greater involvement from the private sector and called on other companies to support tree-planting and conservation programmes.
“This programme is about restoring our environment. The environment has a way of revenging because we have severely disturbed it. What you see in this extreme sunshine is nature fighting back,” Katumba said.
He urged more private-sector organisations to follow Equity Bank’s example and invest in environmental conservation.
Equity Bank Uganda managing director Gift Shoko said the programme was intended to give young people a practical role in protecting the environment.
“This is more than a tree-planting initiative. It is a commitment to the future of our environment, our communities and, most importantly, the young people who will inherit the Uganda we build today,” Shoko said.
He said involving students in planting and caring for trees would make climate action more practical and encourage them to take responsibility for their surroundings.
“Economic transformation and environmental sustainability must go hand in hand,” Shoko said. “Our responsibility is not simply to plant trees, but to plant, protect and nurture them to thrive for generations to come.”
My Tree Initiative executive director Enjer Ashiraf said partnerships were important in ensuring that environmental restoration programmes achieve lasting results.
“If you want to go far, you go with others,” Ashiraf said, thanking Equity Bank for supporting the Green Schools Programme.
He said the partnership had previously resulted in the planting of 1,500 trees at Kyasanku Hill College in Mpigi District.
Ashiraf said the new programme would again give students an opportunity to take part in practical tree planting and conservation activities.
George Wateta, the head teacher of Nakanyonyi Secondary School, described the programme as an important milestone for the school.
Wateta said environmental education should complement classroom learning by giving students an opportunity to understand the importance of protecting nature.
The 3,500 trees planted at Nakanyonyi Secondary School were established across four acres of land donated by the school and the Church of Uganda, according to Rotary District 9213, which also participated in the activity.
The Equity programme forms part of Equity Group’s wider Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, which targets the planting of 35 million trees across East Africa.
Equity Bank Uganda said its latest initiative builds on its wider environmental sustainability efforts.
The bank says it has supported the planting of more than 60,000 trees over the past five years, provided more than Shs34 billion in climate financing and supported more than 800 green enterprises.
Through the Green Schools Programme, Equity Bank and My Tree Initiative intend to combine tree planting with environmental education, encouraging learners to plant, protect and nurture trees beyond the launch events.
